Guatemala English language Magazine
Technical director and curator Violeta Gutiérrez and a group of dedicated professionals at the Museo Ixchel del Traje Indigena have worked tirelessly setting up a new exhibit—Exposición cofradía: textura y color—which will open to the public on April 19. The Museo Ixchel is committed to protecting and preserving Guatemala’s heritage as embodied in the rich textile traditions of indigenous dress. […]
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Herlinda can’t remember a time when her family wasn’t wearing traje. Traje, the traditional clothing worn by many indigenous Guatemalans, is a cultural cornerstone. Its brightly colored hues and intricately woven thread are commonplace in many areas of Guatemala, especially in the rural highlands around Lake Atitlán. While traje’s gorgeous colors and craftsmanship help it stand out in a crowd, […]
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Religious sculptures are a focal point for prayer and meditation. It is believed that when prayed to with the utmost religious fervor, the figure, or its essence, grants the believer a favor, request, or a miracle. Guatemala created its own extremely expressive style through talented Guatemalan-born artists resulting in the finest Spanish-American sculpture, particularly between 1650 and 1773. These works […]
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The Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI), which empowers Guatemalan women to address inequality and gender violence, has won a highly competitive grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. “The award will support WJI’s work to ensure Maya women and girls are able to exercise their rights to live free from violence and have increased access to […]
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Dragonfly watchers are known to insiders as “Oding” enthusiasts. No other insect is as agile and quick as are these miniature helicopters. They can fly in six different directions. One scientist clocked a particular type of dragonfly flying at 90 kilometers per hour, making them the fastest of all insects! And just as is the case with bird watching, you […]
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Stay current with the when-and-where during Semana Santa. The major Antigua procession routes of 2016 are available at this link (click here). Use the check boxes on the map menu for which procession you would like to follow. Currently available, the processions of: Jesús Nazareno del Perdón y Santísima Virgen de Dolores. San Francisco Church Grande. Holy Thursday / Jueves […]
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During the Holy Week alfombras (carpets) are created on the streets of the procession routes. It is a long-standing tradition and the variety and artistic beauty must be seen to be truly appreciated. This series by photographer Katrin Neuhaus shows, from beginning to end, the approximately 10-hour life cycle of one of these creations of devotion. See the entire slide […]
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Lenten season is also an opportunity to explore foods outside the normal realm of traditional choices. Cooking or eating out during season of Lent does not have to be difficult, it just takes a bit of awareness and creativity. Every year many Christians observe special diets during 40 days. As I listened to the priest’s sermon one recent morning at […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the April, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the April Photo Contest here — and for next month… stay tuned
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Holy week at Lake Atitlán is a blending of Mayan and Christian Tradition. Living in La Antigua Guatemala affords me the opportunity of being right in the heart of one of the grandest celebrations of Lent (Cuaresma) in all of Latin America—Semana Santa! Last year, I even had the good fortune of experiencing some of the Holy Week festivities on […]
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With a special collection of antique Indian furnishings and architectural accessories, the decor boutique Ritual works with clients locally and internationally to find the perfect piece of history to complement their design project. It could be a gate from a palace in the desert, a stone portal from a village on the spice route, or a ceremonial necklace from the […]
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As told to Winifred Veronda. Ed Shook approaches the reader of Incidents in the Life of a Maya Archaeologist “with outstretched arms and a toothy grin” and welcomes the unsuspecting into a life that, as he tells Winifred Veronda, didn’t progress from point A to point B but zigzagged from a night school engineering class to six decades as a […]
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“The reason why the February eruptions seemed stronger was basically wind direction blowing from west to northeast,” says volcanologist Gustavo Chigna at INSIVUMEH. “Each volcano is an independent machine—nay, each vent and monticule is for the time being engaged in its own peculiar business, cooking as it were its special dish, which in due time is to be separately served.” This […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the March, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the March Photo Contest HERE — and for next month… stay tuned
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I surely had a blast this past holiday season with family and friends visiting me for two weeks from Guatemala and Denmark. As we move into the New Year, and Valentine’s Day (día del Cariño) on the 14th, I want to share a dessert recipe that I made for them during their visit. I created classic chocolate-covered strawberries as an […]
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“I’ve delivered six generations of children. I didn’t count exactly but the number is around 2,000 babies.” The towering portrait of midwife Doña Chona Rax near the Santiago dock in San Pedro La Laguna is remarkable not only for its artistic beauty, but also for the vitality and strength that radiate from its subject. Canal Cultural, the artist collective that […]
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There is a saying among well-traveled foreigners in Guatemala: Todo es posible aquí, y nada es seguro (All is possible here, and nothing is for certain). The Maya people, of course, know all about uncertainty. As a novelist, I have recounted of some terrible events that happened throughout the Cuchumatanes Mountains during the 1980s, and often wondered if time would […]
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A novel by David Mohrmann. “Xocomil” (show-coh-MEEL) spans what most historians term the Guatemalan Civil War. That, unfortunately, does not begin to describe how it was experienced by the oppressed indigenous Mayas. The novel begins and ends at Lake Atitlán. It travels from traditional Mayan villages through the war-torn mountains of Guatemala; from cornfields in Kansas through the jungles of […]
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Welcome to part 2 of our 13th Annual Photo Issue. We bring you beautiful, amusing, interesting and touching images of Guatemala from many talented photographers. Our thanks to these dedicated shutterbugs for sharing their precious moments in time. We hope you enjoy the photos and find the Revue useful in your travels around this exceptional country.
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Guatemalan and Latin cuisine offer many suggestions for making traditional dishes in healthy ways without compromising flavor and quality. My food philosophy is practical and healthy. I grew up eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, lean proteins, unprocessed foods and healthy oils, such as canola and olive oil. Some Guatemalan cooking uses lard, but my grandmother avoided it […]
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An extraordinary, world-class event occurs every February in the mountains of Chiquimula, Guatemala, making Esquipulas one of the Earth’s major pilgrimage sites, rivaling Mecca, Vatican City and the Ganges River. I arrived in Esquipulas on Thursday evening, Feb. 7. The little town was quieter than I had ever seen. No bustling crowds, no throngs of pilgrims lining up to file through […]
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The nonprofit group Let’s Be Ready developed ‘Aula Mágica’ (Magical Classroom) to bring vital preschool education to remote regions of Guatemala. Every morning, teens walk mountain roads in rural Guatemala carrying magic in their backpacks. When they reach their destinations—community centers, churches, homes—they’re greeted by excited preschoolers who scramble into a circle, eager for the fun to begin. The teens pull […]
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Master artist Ramón Ávila is a prolific painter, engraver, draftsman and sculptor who has maintained his momentum throughout the 52 years he has been living in Guatemala and influencing others with his work. The references that analyze his legacy outline its importance. They are many, and they have been made by distinguished analysts and critics. Hence each exhibit, whether of […]
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New Year’s resolutions come in many ways and forms. Mine usually include sticking to healthy cooking and eating habits for health and well being. Cooking healthy doesn’t have to be bland, difficult, or boring. Guatemalan cuisine, like other cuisines, has its own distinct cooking techniques. Today people are more aware about food than ever as the sharing of information has […]
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Many U.S. expats operate their own business while living abroad. In this article, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a foreign corporation from the standpoint of U.S. taxes. The Tax Corner by John Ohe (IRS Enrolled Agent). This is a dense topic. Therefore, we will be highlighting only the main points. Expat businesses generally fall into two categories: […]
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The Biogeographical Realm of Middle America stretches from the Mexico’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the north around to southern Panama. This narrow land bridge, which joins the two regions, has been the major dispersal route for species moving north and south, most often as the result of climate change caused by major ice ages and the relatively short, warmer inter-glacial […]
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1. Fireworks are dangerous, that’s why it’s fun. 2. They don’t do this stuff at home. 3. Instead of Christmas in July, it’s like the 4th of July on Christmas 4. It’s been awhile since you inhaled gunpowder fumes. 5. You want to test the earplugs the airline gave you. 6. You’ll dance some crazy new steps while dodging live […]
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CECAP – Centro de Capacitación (Training Center). High on a mountainside, overlooking majestic Lake Atitlán and her three volcanoes, sits beautiful Santa Cruz la Laguna. A small village accessible only by boat, Santa Cruz was previously known only for its scattering of restaurants and hotels on the lakeshore, and many visitors felt no reason to climb the steep hill to […]
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SERES, a movement started seven years ago in Guatemala and El Salvador by Australian engineer and passionate change maker, Corrina Grace, has been awarded the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development. Corrina and SERES leadership facilitator, Abigail Quic, were invited to Paris to receive the prize on behalf of over 2,000 youth and young adults between 15 and 25. […]
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When you have a sweet tooth, Guatemala has plenty of options to offer, from decadent desserts to lighter, fruit-based treats. I must admit that I have a weakness for some sweets made either with fresh fruits or dark chocolate. While growing up in Guatemala, I got used to this because my mother and grandmother rarely made heavy desserts. When I […]
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